July 2016 Sad Stories Through July 15-29 (part 2)

KARA tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Please note that what you see here is only a sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma & abuse never gets reported.

CA: Struggling youth get help to bounce back
Orange County Register – July 27, 2016
The two programs, overseen by the nonprofit Community Service Programs, are designed to help youths bounce back from difficulties, including those caught up in the child welfare, juvenile justice, probation and children’s mental-health systems.http://www.ocregister.com/articles/program-723786-through-viguri.html

NH: Adoption in NH: How It’s Changed & What it Looks Like Today (Audio)
New Hampshire Public Radio – July 25, 2016
It was decades ago that adoption became a more open arrangement. Rather than no contact whatsoever and a secretive approach, birth and adoptive parents began communicating both before and after the adoption.http://nhpr.org/post/adoption-nh-how-its-changed-what-it-looks-today

AK: Governor Walker Signs Bills Supporting Alaska’s Children and Families (Press release)
State of Alaska Governors Office – July 26, 2016
Governor Bill Walker signed into law today House Bill 200, which streamlines legal proceedings involving children in foster care, as well as House Bill 27, which offers a number of strategies to improve the child welfare system and provide for expanded independent living opportunities for older youth transitioning to adulthood.http://gov.alaska.gov/newsroom/2016/07/governor-walker-signs-bills-supporting-alaskas-children-and-families/

CA: Bill would undermine California foster care reforms (Opinion)
Sacramento Bee – July 26, 2016
It is being rushed through Congress without the opportunity for child advocates to weigh in with concerns and seek reasonable amendments. Among the victims of such a process are tens of thousands of children in foster care living in California.http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article91774197.html

CA: LA County Board approves settlement over 8-year-old’s death in Palmdale
Los Angeles Daily News – July 26, 2016
His death in May of 2013, also sparked criticism of LA County departments, which were referred to as massive silos that operated independently and without coordination. As a result, a blue-ribbon commission on child welfare was created and released reforms on how all the departments could better communicate. Later, the county formed an Office of Child Protection.http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20160726/la-county-board-approves-settlement-over-8-year-olds-death-in-palmdale

FL: Where should federal funds to fight heroin epidemic be used, Buchanan asks local officials
Bradenton Herald – July 26, 2016
Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, wants to determine where federal funds would be best allocated among local agencies dealing with the latest spike in heroin overdoses and struggling with the growing number of children being removed from their homes as a result.http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/article92015002.html

NJ: State Supreme Court upholds parental rights for poor parents
The Record – July 26, 2016
All poor parents have a constitutional right to an attorney when New Jersey’s child welfare agency seeks to remove children from their care. The state justices expanded that right on Tuesday to cover indigent parents who are sued by foster families or private adoption agencies seeking terminate their parental rights – the first step required before a contested adoption.http://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-supreme-court-upholds-parental-rights-for-poor-parents-1.1635187

US: Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts, #3: Fighting Bias, Stereotypes of Foster Youth
Chronicle of Social Change – July 27, 2016
Wichman calls for Congress to require states to ensure that every foster youth has an advocate – not their caseworker – whose job is to advocate for the child’s best interests. Conversations between the child and advocate should be considered confidential and privileged.https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/analysis/child-welfare-ideas-experts-3/19687

US: Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts, #2: Incentivize Psychotropic Accountability
Chronicle of Social Change – July 26, 2016
Price calls for special federal matching funds for any child welfare agency that employs a child psychiatrist as its mental health director. She also proposes that Congress pilot a local Foster Care Mental Health Center “to better serve the mental health needs of children in foster care.”https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/analysis/child-welfare-ideas-experts-2/19684

LA: Statewide boarding school for troubled students on the way
Associated Press – July 28, 2016
Louisiana’s first public boarding school for troubled students statewide is nearing completion in Baton Rouge. And it is all happening because Gov. John Bel Edwards overrode the pleas of some of his key supporters and signed a bill to launch the school. The new state law is aimed at aiding what the state calls “at-risk” students – shorthand for those from troubled backgrounds. The list includes children who are eligible for health benefits under Medicaid; those in foster care through the state; and students referred to the school by teachers or counselors.http://www.akronlegalnews.com/editorial/15704

MS: Unsafe sleep conditions blamed for growing number of infant deaths (Includes video)
Mississippi News Now – July 28, 2016
Parents are being warned that their baby’s sleeping condition could be a death trap. In fact, unsafe sleep conditions for babies is enough of a problem in Mississippi that a public service campaign was created to raise awareness. In it, it’s noted that a baby can suffocate while sleeping with a parent in less than five minutes.http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/32568427/unsafe-sleep-conditions-blamed-for-growing-number-of-infant-deaths

PA: Children’s Hospital partners in statewide psychiatry consultation program
Penn State Live – July 28, 2016
“For an adolescent, a TiPS call could identify serious depression before a suicide attempt occurs,” Waxmonsky said. “For a child with severe anxiety, TiPS guided treatment can help them get back to school sooner. For a foster parent raising a child prone to aggression, TiPS care coordinators can help connect them to a skilled local therapist, reducing the child’s chances of being prescribed possibly unnecessary antipsychotic medication.”http://news.psu.edu/story/418922/2016/07/28/children%E2%80%99s-hospital-partners-statewide-psychiatry-consultation-program

US: Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts, #5: Mandatory Minimum on Foster Care Payments
Chronicle of Social Change – July 29, 2016
Harmon calls for a federal requirement that all states adhere to a minimum monthly foster care payment to be set, and adjusted, at a rate commensurate with the cost of “raising a child from a middle-income family in that particular state.”https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/analysis/child-welfare-ideas-experts-5/19693

US: Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts, #4: Limit Criminal History Barriers for Potential Kinship Caregivers
Chronicle of Social Change – July 28, 2016
Reed proposes to amend Title IV-E to require that states adopt the criminal history standards espoused in the National Model Family Foster Home Licensing Standards, a set of standards developed in 2014 by the American Bar Association, Generations United, and the National Association for Regulatory Administration.https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/analysis/child-welfare-ideas-experts-4/19689

North America: Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls: Commitments from the North American Leaders Summit
Environment Guru – July 25, 2016
Amongst the many commitments announced at the NALS was a tri-lateral commitment to address the scourge of violence against indigenous women and girls that exists across North America, discussed in more detail below. We included that commitment under the “security and defense” pillar, to underscore that women’s security is integral to national security. To that end, we committed to establish a new North American Working Group on Violence against Indigenous Women and Girlshttp://www.environmentguru.com/pages/elements/element.aspx?id=3848996

Australia: Turnbull establishes royal commission after shocking video of violence against juveniles emerges
AtlantaNews.Net – June 27, 2016
ABC’s Four Corners program’s disclosing of brutality against juveniles, through a video showing repeated mistreatment of a young offender, has led Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to establish a royal commission into juvenile detention on Tuesday.http://www.atlantanews.net/index.php/sid/246185147

CA: The death of a grandchild and how Child Protective Services restricts vital information (Opinion)
Sacramento Bee – July 24, 2016
This journey, from the devastation of learning about the death of my grandson to outrage over the recent effort by the California Department of Social Services to restrict the ability of the public to have access to important information, began in January 1999.http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article91298532.html

CA: ‘This is a safe haven’: Stockton group home for LGBT foster youth is Valley’s first
Recordnet.com – July 23, 2016
“My mom said she didn’t want me living with her anymore,” said the girl, who cannot be identified publicly because she is a juvenile and is in the foster-care system. “She didn’t want me to live there anymore because I’m 17 and she’s tired of taking care of me. So I’m here.” But the girl’s story, as wrenching as it is, carries with it an extra layer of complexity. Someday, the girl said last week, she wants to be a man. Someday she plans to transition. So when it came time to find the right group home, the task was especially challenging.http://www.recordnet.com/news/20160723/this-is-safe-haven-stockton-group-home-for-lgbt-foster-youth-is-valleys-first?rssfeed=true

CA: New Monterey County director of child welfare: conversation has to change
Monterey Herald – July 23, 2016
There are several challenges facing the department of child welfare in Monterey County, including difficulty filling vacant social worker positions and finding families who want to become foster parents. Lori Medina, who recently took over as director of the Family and Children’s Services Branch of the Monterey County Department of Social Services, wants to change the way the department is perceived besides addressing those issues.http://www.montereyherald.com/social-affairs/20160723/new-monterey-county-director-of-child-welfare-conversation-has-to-change

GA: After years of cutbacks, state of Georgia hiring again
Atlanta Journal And Constitution – July 25, 2016
Agency officials say the new staffers are designed to help cut down on long lines at driver’s license offices, to reduce backlogs at crime labs, to cut caseloads for overworked child protective services staffers, to give the state the manpower to investigate police shootings, to provide more teachers in schools with growing enrollment, and to improve the system of signing up Georgians for government benefits.http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/after-years-of-cutbacks-state-of-georgia-hiring-ag/nr4kT/

KY: We should protect foster kids’ religious freedom (Opinion)
Lexington Herald-Leader – July 25, 2016
The Bevin administration is re-embroiling the state in a court fight that was triggered 18 years ago when Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children fired an employee because she posed with her lesbian partner in a photo exhibit at the state fair. The employee’s discrimination complaint was dismissed early on. But the state, the Baptist-supported agency that was renamed Sunrise Children’s Services and three Kentucky taxpayer plaintiffs have been arguing ever since in federal court about how to safeguard children in taxpayer-supported foster care from religious coercion and proselytizing.http://www.kentucky.com/opinion/editorials/article91798782.html

MD: Building Trust and Support for Homeless Youth in OST Programs
Youth Today – July 25, 2016
At the after-school coaching programs run by the Orange Duffel Bag Initiative, the staff never shines a spotlight on the fact that many of their participants are homeless. Often the moment comes when the participants draw their chairs into a circle after a day of trust-building exercises. They talk about experiencing homeless, the foster care system or deep poverty.http://youthtoday.org/2016/07/building-trust-and-support-for-homeless-youth-in-ost-programs/

OR: Social Workers Say What It’s Like To Deal With Foster Kids Living In The Office
Oregon Public Broadcasting – July 25, 2016
“Sometimes we’ll have babies that will come in, and you know, luckily there are a lot of people who want to hold babies. But if you have a super fussy baby it makes it hard for everybody to work. Because there’s babies crying or toddlers crying. Or they’re trying to run away and do things that really aren’t safe,” she said.http://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-foster-care-social-workers-in-office/

US: Child Welfare Ideas from the Experts, #1: Federal Runaway Prevention Regulations in Foster Home Licensing
Chronicle of Social Change – July 25, 2016
Washington wants to amend a recently signed federal law to “restrict the renewal of a foster home license” for any placement from which multiple youth have been displaced due to “alleged safety concerns and maltreatment by a foster parent.” Her hope is that this would cut down the number of youth who run away from foster care placements every year.https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/foster-youth-interns/child-welfare-ideas-experts-1/19682

Romania: More than 100 institutionalised children, victims of abuses and exploitation in 2015
Nine O’Clock – July 25, 2016
“According to the information received from the National Authority for the Protection of Children’s Rights and Adoption (ANPDCA), 101 cases of abuse, neglect or exploitation were registered in childcare institutions in 2015, based on the data sent by the General Directorates for Social Care and Child Protection (DGASPCs),” the Labour Ministry stated for Mediafax.http://www.nineoclock.ro/more-than-100-institutionalised-children-victims-of-abuses-and-exploitation-in-2015/

CA: Celebrating 180 Years of Love and Caring at Hillsides Foster Care Charity (Press release)
PrWeb – July 21, 2016
While children come and go at Hillsides Pasadena Residential Treatment Services, which serves 125 children in foster care annually, one thing stays the same: a committed core group of long-term staff members.http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/07/prweb13566318.htm

FL: Foster rolls show toll of heroin epidemic
Southwest Florida Herald Tribune – July 23, 2016
An unprecedented number of children in Manatee County are being removed from their homes by the Department of Children and Families, largely because of the spike in heroin- and opiate-related abuse in the area.http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20160723/news/160729915

FL: Carlton: Foster kids deserve more than makeshift (Opinion)
Tampa Bay Times – July 22, 2016
You do have to feel for people working on the front lines here and making do if there is truly nowhere else for these kids to go. You also have to feel the frustration of those who have raised flags about an underfunded, dysfunctional child welfare system for years.http://www.tampabay.com/news/carlton-foster-kids-deserve-more-than-makeshift/2286522

MD: MCPS superintendent releases memo on student abuse and neglect
WTOP – July 22, 2016
The July 20 memo was posted on the school system’s website on Friday. It shows that while 345 suspected cases of abuse or neglect were reported to the county’s office of Child Welfare Services since June 2015, only a handful, five in all, were deemed to show enough “credible evidence”to lead to action. Three of those staffers no longer work for the school system, and two “are on administrative leave pending final action” according to the memorandum.http://wtop.com/education/2016/07/mcps-superintendent-releases-memo-cases-abuse-neglect/

NH: UNH researchers: Many unaware of legal responsibility to report child abuse
Foster’s Daily Democrat – July 22, 2016
A landmark study by researchers at the University of New Hampshire finds gaps regarding awareness of mandatory reporting laws among the general public in New Hampshire, a state where all adults are required by law to report suspected child abuse to authorities, as well as misconceptions that reporting suspected abuse may lead to worse outcomes for children.http://www.fosters.com/news/20160722/unh-researchers-many-unaware-of-legal-responsibility-to-report-child-abuse

OR: Secretary of state audits can ‘follow the money,’ cut waste: Opinion
The Oregonian – July 22, 2016
The Audits Division has the responsibility to “follow the money” in our public schools. When a district like Portland Public Schools fails to graduate 38 percent of students at Roosevelt High School, the public has a right to know where our state tax dollars are going and why these students are falling through the cracks.http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/07/secretary_of_state_audits_can.html

SC: DSS names new Greenville Co. director
Greenville News – July 22, 2016
The South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) has a new Greenville County director. Dena Reeves-Green has been promoted to that position, having served as the agency’s interim county director since March.http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2016/07/22/87399018/

TN: Tennessee Selected To Join Three Branch Institute To Improve Child Safety And Prevent Child Fatalities
The Chattanoogan – July 22, 2016
Tennessee was one of eight states competitively selected to participate in the Three Branch Institute to Improve Child Safety and Prevent Child Fatalities, a project of the National Governor’s Association’s Center for Best Practices, the National Conference of State Legislatures, Casey Family Programs, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the National Center for State Courts.http://www.chattanoogan.com/2016/7/22/328494/Tennessee-Selected-To-Join-Three-Branch.aspx

TX: Bill Hammond: Texas should move to full-day pre-kindergarten (Opinion)
El Paso Times – July 24, 2016
While he shouldn’t necessarily dictate curriculum, the education commissioner should be given the authority to set rules to measure the effectiveness of curriculum and professional development. You may ask: who is eligible? Currently, children living below the poverty line, children in the foster care system and the children of military families are all eligible for public pre-K. There is a debate whether we should expand the current public pre-K program beyond those groups.http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/opinion/columnists/2016/07/24/bill-hammond-texas-move-full-day-pre-kindergarten/87511428/

TX: Help reform CPS by boosting pay (Opinion)
Denton Record-Chronicle – July 22, 2016
Recently, Henry “Hank” Whitman, the new head of Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, outlined a 10-point plan to improve Child Protective Services. The plan was explained in a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott, and it has many merits, particularly its focus on supporting front-line workers and holding agency leadership accountablehttp://www.dentonrc.com/opinion/editorials-headlines/20160722-help-reform-cps-by-boosting-pay.ece

US: 8 Steps to Take to Protect Children From Sexual Abuse at the Hands of Rabbis (Opinion)
The Algemeiner – July 25, 2016
Many Orthodox rabbis and institutions are affiliated with one or more major Orthodox umbrella groups. These groups include the Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel of America, Torah Umesorah, the Rabbinical Council of America and the National Council of Young Israel. Over the last several years, I have tried to convince several of these groups, numerous prominent rabbis and the Jewish Federations of North America to take even minimal steps to protect Orthodox children from the rampant sexual abuse found in our communities. My efforts went nowhere.http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/07/25/8-steps-to-take-to-protect-children-from-sexual-abuse-at-the-hands-of-rabbis/#

US: What Is Old, Outdated, And Obsolete? (Opinion)
The Huffington Post – July 21, 2016
Answer: A Youth Prison. We’re using the mnemonic “locked up” to show some of these key characteristics of a youth prison. This article is the second in the series, Locked Up: What is a Youth Prison? One of those traits is that a youth prison is old, outdated and obsolete.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liz_ryan/what-is-old-outdated-and-_b_11083310.html

Philippines: Why Are Women Still Going Through the Worst Human Rights Violations? (Opinion)
Philippine Daily Inquirer – July 23, 2016
Former President Jimmy Carter declared in 2014 that violence against women, be it sexual, emotional, physical, structural or institutional, was “the worst and most pervasive and unaddressed human rights violation on earth.”http://preen.inquirer.net/29545/women-still-going-worst-human-rights-violations

Tanzania: Working a system to protect children in Tanzania
Relief Web – July 20, 2016
When I watch Pretty catching a pink ball and throwing it back to Juma, I can’t believe that only a year ago she was lying at the bottom of a pit latrine, wrapped inside a plastic bag, barely able to breathe. Who would do such a thing to an innocent, newborn child? Unfortunately, the journalists tell me that such stories are not uncommon in Tanzania.http://reliefweb.int/report/united-republic-tanzania/working-system-protect-children-tanzania

United Kingdom: Mandatory reporting shows scale of FGM
Police Professional – July 25, 2016
There were 5,700 newly-recorded cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) reported in England during 2015/16, according to the first ever publication of annual statistics.http://www.policeprofessional.com/news.aspx?id=26719

CT: DCF envisions a better way to work with incarcerated juveniles
The Connecticut Mirror – July 21, 2016
The state’s child welfare agency has envisioned what it considers a better way to operate a locked facility for youths who break the law, offering a preview of what a juvenile justice system might look like after the state closes its controversial jail for juveniles in Middletown.http://ctmirror.org/2016/07/21/dcf-envisions-a-better-way-to-work-with-incarcerated-juveniles/

IL: Don’t Make Our Most Vulnerable Children Wait Longer? (Opinion)
The Chicago Crusader – July 21, 2016
In an important show of bipartisanship, Congress is on the cusp of an historic step to help many of the most vulnerable children in our nation-those who are abused and neglected and at risk of entering foster care and lingering in group care.http://chicagocrusader.com/dont-make-vulnerable-children-wait-longer/

MD: Editorial: Aged-out foster kids need support too
Carroll County Times – July 20, 2016
The county commissioners recently approved an application that will make Carroll part of a test-run of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Family Unification Program and Family Self Sufficiency Demonstration Program, in an attempt to curb homelessness among children who have aged out of foster care by providing housing and teaching financial independence. As many as a third of individuals who exit foster care experience homelessness at some time in the first few years of independence.http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/opinion/editorials/ph-cc-editorial-072116-20160720-story.html

Australia: Foster kids should stay in system until 21 (Opinion)
9News – July 21, 2016
Children in foster care should be cared for until they’re 21 to give them a better chance at staying out of trouble, Anglicare Victoria has told police. Speaking at the Chief Commissioner’s Youth Summit in Melbourne on Thursday, Anglicare Victoria’s chief executive Paul McDonald called for the foster care age limit to be extended.http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/07/21/16/53/foster-kids-should-stay-in-system-until-21

Vietnam: Child adoption registration fee announced
Vietnam Net Bridge – July 22, 2016
Under a new decree issued recently by the Government, a fee of 9 million VND (409 USD) will be applied for each Vietnamese child adoption registration by Vietnamese nationals abroad and foreigners living outside Vietnam. The cost is 150 USD for registration at Vietnam’s representatives offices abroad.http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/society/160871/child-adoption-registration-fee-announced.html

<hr size=2 width=”25%” align=left>

AR: Hutchinson adviser named interim director of Division of Youth Services
Arkansas News Bureau – July 19, 2016
An adviser to Gov. Asa Hutchinson will serve as interim director of the state Department of Human Services’ Division of Youth Services while the agency searches for a permanent director, DHS and the governor said Tuesday. Betty Guhman begins serving in that role Wednesday. Her annual salary will be $100,077, the same salary that was paid to former DYS Director Marcus Devine, who left in April to take a job in the private sector.http://pbcommercial.com/news/hutchinson-adviser-named-interim-director-division-youth-services

CA: California’s Continuum of Care Reform – Will it Produce as Promised? (Opinion)
Chronicle of Social Change – July 19, 2016
I think it’s important to remember why CCR was initiated in the first place: to reduce foster care expenditures. California lost a lawsuit which forced the state to dramatically increase group home rates. So, the legislature initiated a process to figure out how to get kids out of group homes to reduce state foster care expenditures. Though this has been presented as a “in the best interest of the children” initiative, that’s disingenuous. The cold, hard fact is that CCR was designed to save the state money.https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/blogger-co-op/californias-continuum-care-reform-will-produce-promised/19475

CA: Foster youth deserve good health care, wherever they are (Opinion)
Sacramento Bee – July 19, 2016
Children enter foster care having already experienced abuse, neglect and other traumas, such as exposure to domestic violence. These accumulated traumas can leave them with extensive behavioral and mental health needs. To heal, these children need regular and quality health care services.http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article90580362.html

FL: WCSO partners with DCF to assume child protection services (Press release)
WEAR-TV – July 19, 2016
Walton County Sheriff’s Office is excited to announce a future partnership with the Department of Child and Families (DCF) to enhance services for the families of Walton County. During the next 12 months WCSO will be undergoing a transition in conjunction with DCF to assume the responsibilities of child protective services in our county.http://weartv.com/news/local/wcso-partners-with-dcf-to-assume-child-protection-services

MD: County considers possible implications of voucher program
Carroll County Times – July 19, 2016
The safety net for teenagers aging out of the foster system could be expanding in Carroll County. At last week’s Board of Commissioners meeting, the board agreed to approve an application from the county Department of Citizen Services to participate in a test-run of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Family Unification Program and Family Self Sufficiency Demonstration Program.http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/government/ph-cc-hud-grant-0720-20160719-story.html

MN: Archdiocese Docs Could Be Released In Possible Settlement (Includes video)
CBS Minnesota – July 19, 2016
Wehmeyer has completed his criminal sentence in Minnesota and is now serving time in Wisconsin for the assault there. The June 2015 complaint against the archdiocese spells out in detail what top archdiocese officials, including then Archbishop John Nienstedt, former Vicar General Kevin Mcdonough and Bishop Lee Piche, knew about Wehmeyer’s predatory behavior and how they allegedly failed to act to keep children safe.http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/07/19/archdiocese-docs-could-be-released-in-possible-settlement/

SC: DSS: Child abuse and neglect deaths up
Greenville News – July 19, 2016
The number of South Carolina children dying from abuse and neglect increased to 28 last year, the state’s child welfare agency reported Tuesday. The State Department of Social Services also says that the number of children served by DSS as a result of an indicated report of abuse or neglect increased to 20,309 in 2015 from 16,794 for 2014. The number of fatalities as a percentage of all children served by the agency remained about constant from 2014 to 2015, DSS reported.http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2016/07/19/dss-south-carolina-child-abuse-and-neglect-deaths-up/87280766/

TX: Catholic Charities launches #BeThere4Life
Diocese of Austin – July 19, 2016
“I was just navigating to try to help someone in need. It takes a lot of courage to leave (a domestic violence situation),” Gutierrez said. The woman received counseling through the shelter where she was helped. CCCTX also offers counseling services, such as family counseling, grief counseling, bullying issues and continuing care for the mentally ill or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some calls require resolution through cooperation with community agencies, such as Adult Protective Services (APS) or Child Protective Services (CPS).http://www.austindiocese.org/article/17807/catholic-charities-launches-bethere4life

US: Opportunity to advance foster care in hands of Senate (Opinion)
Philadelphia Tribune – July 19, 2016
Home Commentary Opportunity to advance foster care in hands of Senate Story Comments Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size Posted: Tuesday, July 19, 2016 8:00 am Marian Wright Edelman | 0 comments In an important show of bipartisanship, Congress is on the cusp of an historic step to help many of the most vulnerable children in our nation who are abused and neglected and at risk of entering foster care and lingering in group care. The U.S. House passed the Family First Prevention Services Act (H.R. 5456) on June 21 to help keep these children safely with their families and out of foster care. I hope the Senate will do the same this week before it leaves for summer recess and not have vulnerable children keep waiting and waiting.http://www.phillytrib.com/commentary/opportunity-to-advance-foster-care-in-hands-of-senate/article_41be130b-33c9-5039-b90e-4410bda9ad58.html

Gambia: UNFPA Welcomes the Ban on Child Marriage
Foroyaa Online – July 19, 2016
Kunle Adeniyi, head of office, or head of operation, of the United Nations Population Fund in the country, has welcomed the Kunle Adeniyi Head of Operation UNFPAgovernment of The Gambia’s recent ban on child marriage in a press briefing held at their head office in Bakau, Cape-point, on July 14, 2016.http://www.foroyaa.gm/archives/11251

FL: Walton Co. Sheriff to takeover DCF
Mypanhandle.com – July 18, 2016
The Walton County Sheriff is working to take over the responsibilities of the Department of Children and Families. The move signals a major shift in an effort to expand child protective services in the county and make sure no child falls through the cracks.http://www.mypanhandle.com/news/walton-co-sheriff-to-takeover-dcf

NE: Report lays out plans to help sex trafficking victims
McCook Gazette – July 18, 2016
Welcome legal steps have been taken to see that sex trafficking victims aren’t treated like criminals in Nebraska, but we have a long way to go, according to a new report, “Nebraska Sex Trafficking Survivors Speak — a Qualitative Research Study.” Report: http://bit.ly/29PSiVzhttp://www.mccookgazette.com/story/2322672.html

NY: Children’s Home Reaches A Milestone With More Than 100 Adoptions (Includes video)
Time Warner Cable News – July 18, 2016
“The work that the Children’s Home is doing and the folks here, that have chosen to adopt children is remarkable,” Sen. Fred Akshar said. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau more than 100,000 children nationwide, are in foster care waiting for a home. In New York State, alone, there are more than 5,000.http://www.twcnews.com/nys/binghamton/news/2016/07/18/childrens-home-100-adoptions.html

TX: Courtrooms All Over Texas Are Offering Drug Courts to Help Save Families (Includes audio)
KUT – July 18, 2016
Meeks and Welch’s situation may not be ideal. But they’re lucky to be part of a unique program called Family Drug Court, presided over by Judge Aurora Martinez Jones in Travis County. “We are working with them to make sure we are giving them additional support in their recovery as well as giving them additional parenting skills so that we can keep their families together while they’re going through treatment and working through their CPS case,” Jones says.http://kut.org/post/courtrooms-all-over-texas-are-offering-drug-courts-help-save-families

TX: Phillips: Protecting children from abuse requires more than talk (Opinion)
MyStatesman – July 18, 2016
Since taking control of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services last month, Henry “Hank” Whitman has wasted no time shaking things up at the state’s child welfare agency. And if ever an agency needed an overhaul, it’s Child Protective Services, which administers the state’s troubled foster care program.http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/opinion/phillips-protecting-children-from-abuse-requires-m/nrzn8/

US: Not Again! Yet Another United States’ Plan To Support International Adoption (Opinion)
Huffington Post – July 18, 2016
Senator Klobuchar and Senator Blunt didn’t seem to understand that international adoption for adoptees is a mixed blessing: children in behavioral treatment centers consist of 40 to 50% of adoptees, schools for children with learning disabilities are for a high percentage peopled with adopted children, the suicide rate of adoptees is 4 times higher than in the general population, the regulated and unregulated rehoming of ‘acting-out’ kids turned into a common practice and a thriving business, they didn’t seem to understand that the waiting rooms of psychologists and therapists all over the country are filled not only with adoptees but also with their parents.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-ligtvoet/not-again-yet-another-uni_b_10995986.html

US: We Need to Understand How to Provide Trauma-Informed Care (Opinion)
Youth Today – July 18, 2016
It is not uncommon for children with histories of complex trauma to respond with externalizing behaviors and to be diagnosed with disruptive behavior disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder. Sometimes children also respond with agitated depression and anxiety. These are the children who may at times rage, fight, argue, refuse to comply, run away, lie and steal.http://youthtoday.org/2016/07/we-need-to-understand-how-to-provide-trauma-informed-care/

INTERNATIONAL

Tanzania: In Tanzania, child protection systems keep children safe from harm
UNICEF – July 18, 2016
The backyard in Christer and Juma Mabuza’s home in Muvwa village, Mbeya District Council, is the place where their family gathers to prepare dinner. While Juma lights a fire and Christer chops spinach from her vegetable garden, their six children play on makeshift drums with Pretty, an 18-month-old child the Mabuzas are fostering.http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/tanzania_91909.html

IN: Our kids are not for sale (Opinion)
Star Press – July 16, 2016
While we hear about these crimes happening on the street, in homes and even through some businesses, more cases now happen via social media and the internet. This technology has removed some of the geographic barriers. Melissa Snow, a child sex trafficking expert from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, says the change means traffickers can “literally throw hundreds of lines in the water.”http://www.thestarpress.com/story/opinion/2016/07/16/our-kids-not-sale/87103226/

MA: Children Affected by Parental Substance Use (Press release)
Newswise – July 15, 2016
Children whose parents or caregivers misuse alcohol or use, produce or distribute drugs face an increased risk of medical and behavioral problems. According to a new clinical report by experts at Beth Israel Medical Center (BIDMC) and Boston Children’s Hospital, pediatricians are in a unique position to assess risk and intervene to protect children. The report, “Families Affected by Parental Substance Use,” is available online today and slated for publication in the August print edition of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Association of Pediatrics. Report: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2016/07/14/peds.2016-1575.full.pdfhttp://www.newswise.com/articles/view/657320/?sc=rsla

MI: CONNECT Act: Creating a Better Path Forward for Dual System Kids (Includes audio)
Public News Service – July 18, 2016
Kristen Staley, deputy director of the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency, says the act could help prevent these so-called dual status children from falling through the cracks. “So they both have received sort of child welfare services either for being a child who experienced abuse, neglect or entered the foster care system in some way, and then has also come into the juvenile justice system for an arrestable offense or some sort Information Gateway Resource: Youth Involved With Juvenile Justice and Child Welfarehttp://www.publicnewsservice.org/2016-07-18/juvenile-justice/connect-act-creating-a-better-path-forward-for-dual-system-kids/a53021-1

MN: County to expand juvenile center nonsecure program
Coon Rapids Herald – July 15, 2016
According to Dylan Warkentin, county corrections department director, the current nonsecure, unlocked facility runs at capacity all the time and there is a waiting list. “There is a big demand on the department to come up with more beds,” Warkentin said. A major reason is recent changes made by the state to the child protection system, he said.http://abcnewspapers.com/2016/07/15/county-to-expand-juvenile-center-nonsecure-program/

WI: Time to close Wisconsin’s youth prisons (Opinion)
Fon Du Lac Reporter – June 15, 2016
Milwaukee County officials are right: It’s time to close Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls in northern Wisconsin and build a new juvenile justice system in the state. The revelations of alleged abuse and misconduct that have come to light as part of a state and federal investigation point to a system that has failed to protect juveniles from harm and has not given them the tools they need to reintegrate into society.http://www.fdlreporter.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/07/15/time-close-wisconsins-youth-prisons/87132150/

US: Black in Foster Care (Opinion)
Chronicle of Social Change – July 15, 2016
I began believing that group homes, considered markedly more restrictive than foster homes and for “harder to place” children, were designated for black children. And with constant messages about our “behavioral issues,” and the stark difference in experiences for those in foster homes, considered somewhat more positive, my adolescent mind concluded that group homes were for bad kids.https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/youth-voice/black-foster-youth-lives-matter/19569

US: Have Efforts to Slow the Rapid Increase in Antipsychotic Use in Children on Medicaid Worked?
American Journal of Managed Care – July 15, 2016
A study suggests that rising use of antipsychotic medications among Medicaid-insured children peaked in 2008 and has since started to decline. Additionally, children in foster care who are treated with antipsychotics are more likely than other Medicaid-insured children to receive psychosocial interventions and important physiological monitoring for medication side effects.http://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/have-efforts-to-slow-the-rapid-increase-in-antipsychotic-use-in-children-on-medicaid-worked